Embrace the Camera: August 18th

San Diego Sea World!

The family was finally able to take a vacation this year, and it was long awaited. During the last 2 days, I was able to capture Lily's very first Sea World visit. A week prior to our vacation, all she kept requesting were to see animals and it seemed as though we couldn't reach that day soon enough. So when it came time, we all woke up with excitement to begin the day.

The moment she woke up I turned to her and whispered, 'Guess where we're going today?'. She began to guess a few places including her baby sitter's house. I hovered over her and said 'We're going to see your animals today!'...that instantly put a smile on her face. Then she stretched, rolled over, she sprung out of bed and immediately headed for her shoes.

As I gathered her clothes and shoes to get her dressed, Lily opted to sit by the balcony window. The lighting that morning was so beautiful as the morning dew covered our window. She would rise to see the golfers already doing their rounds on the golf course, and then sit back down and have some grapes.

As Lily sat there eating grapes, I was transfixed by her carefree expression. She was taking in the scenery, just existing in the moment. It made me exhale, and feel blessed for the little person sitting beside me.

We didn't waste any time, we went straight for Shiver the polar bear...and a few shots with Shamu.

We were thrilled to be seated in time for the first dolphin show, it was AH-MAZING!

We bought Lily a few sardines to feed the seals, yet she threw most of them in before I could even prepare to capture it. I also handed one over to a little boy standing near me whimpering because his dad wouldn't buy any. The smile on his face was priceless.

We stood a bit watching the seals, their call for food made Lily jump from time to time but she loved it.

The size of this starfish statue caught Lily's eye the moment we reached it. She hopped right up and gave it a huge hug.

She didn't hesitate to place her hand in the water and reach out for every starfish she could touch.

We reached the fish exhibit, and took a few shots of our favorite ones. Most of the fish there were larger than Lily!

The piranhas shimmered so beautifully that when you gathered them all together in this tank they gave out an amazing light. There must have been hundreds of them swimming along side each other.

Lily's favorite had to have been the turtles. They followed her little finger, and would swim near her for the entire time we remained there.

When we exited the exhibit...our little friend was waiting outside. Well, I think it was him...they all look alike.

I had to place a sweater on her to enter the polar bear exhibit, it was FREEZING! By this point, her hair was such a mess from the day that I had to leave it down and let it be. Once inside, she ran towards the window and stood in awe as the polar bear...well, he just slept the whole time. 

As we reached the end of our Sea World trip, we made sure we caught Elmo's 3D movie. This is her attempt to place the glasses on her face. Not quite right...but she got them on eventually...15 minutes later.

This was the best I could do in capturing  her during the movie. The room was dark and I sat right next to her not giving me any room for much. I love her expression of enjoyment though...she really loved the entire movie from beginning to end.

These two were beyond tired at this point...and developing a sunburn!

By the time we made it back to the hotel, all everyone wanted to do was lounge.

We all spent the remainder of the day out on the balcony. Eating, relaxing, and waiting for the sun to set. These are the moments I want to remember.